The proper closing of the flaps on a parachute requires the feeding of the closing loop through the eye of the grommets in each of the closing flaps on a typical parachute container. The closing loop is basically a short section of spectra type line with a single eye spliced into its free end, and the other end permanently attached to the inside of the parachute container.
In order to properly pack the parachute into the container, this closing loop must be fished through the grommets of the container's flaps, and each flap must be folded into place.
Typical sport parachutes generally use four of such flaps on the container. The feeding of this closing loop through the small holes of the grommets in the flaps is usually accomplished by first fishing a cord or line through the eye of the flap grommet, then through the spliced eye of the closing loop, and then back through the eye of the flap grommet again.
The cord or line used to pull the closing loop through the grommets is usually referred to as a pull-up cord, and is, generally, a foot or two in length. This pull-up cord is looped in a “U” shaped manner so that the center of its length contacts the closing loop, and each of the two equal length legs of the pull-up cord come back through the grommet. Pulling on both legs of this pull-up cord subsequently pulls the spliced eye of the closing loop through the grommet. A fairly substantial amount of pulling force is required to pull this pull-up cord through the grommet as the contained parachute is also being compressed inside the container. The process is repeated again for each of the flaps whereas the looped pull-up cord needs to be subsequently fished though the grommet of each flap and the closing loop pulled through each subsequent grommet. Once the closing loop has been fished through the grommet of the final flap, a curved pin known as the closing pin is then inserted through the spliced eye of the closing loop. This closing pin keeps the flaps from springing back open until it is time to deploy the parachute.
Due to the substantial force required to pull the pull-up cord through the flap grommets, the operation usually requires the full strength of both arms of the packer and a substantial grip on the pull-up cord. As a result, it is known in the prior art to attach a short bar to the ends of the looped pull-up cord so as to provide a handle to pull upon. This handle can only be permanently attached to one end of the looped pull-up cord as the other end needs to be removable so that it can be fished through the eye of the closing loop. Once the free end of the looped pull-up cord has been fished through the eye of the closing loop, it is then slipped back onto the other end of the handle. The handle is made small enough in diameter so that it can pass lengthwise through the eyehole of the flap grommet. The handle, with one end of the looped pull-up cord permanently attached and the other end of the looped pull-up cord temporarily attached but removable, is then passed in its entirety through the eye hole of the flap grommet, with the two legs of the pull-up cord trailing behind. Force is then applied to the handle and the eye of the closing loop is pulled through the flap grommet whereas the flap is then folded down into place.
In the process of passing the handle with the attached looped pull-up cord through the eye of the flap grommet, there becomes the problem of the removable end of the looped pull-up cord slipping off the handle due to friction or impingement of the pull-up cord with the inside surface of the flap grommet. Due to the high forces involved, the packer is usually using both hands to pack the container and does not have a spare hand to prevent the pull-up cord from sliding off the handle.
The prior art solution to this issue has been to merely cut a small radial groove around the diameter of the handle and splice an eye on the removable end of the pull-up cord. This spliced eye is then slipped into the radial groove to help prevent it from sliding off the handle. However, due to the need to orient the pulling handle in such a direction that it can be passed lengthwise through the grommet, for a short time, the pull-up cord becomes pulled at right angles to the radial direction of the handle's groove. Any friction created by the action of the pull-up cord rubbing against the inside surface of the grommet causes a force that results in the pull-up cord slipping out of this radial groove. The pull-up cord then either slides off the end of the handle completely or becomes entangled with the other leg of the pull-up cord. This problem sometimes leads to the need to repeat the entire strenuous flap closing process over again, leading to fatigue on the packer and reducing the number of parachutes that the packer can complete without a rest break.
The need to restrain the movement of a spliced eye of a cord in a groove is normally not a problem that requires a novel solution as; generally, the load can be applied to the same radial direction as the groove, thus preventing the eye from ever slipping out of the groove. In the unique situation of the handle of the parachute packing tool, such load is applied perpendicular to the radial direction of the groove during the brief operation of passing the tool through the flap grommet. A novel method is required to restrain the spliced eye from slipping out of such groove, but such a restraining device must not be so overly strong that the spliced eye cannot still be removed from the groove with reasonable force when so desired.
The typical prior art method of pulling on the closing loop for packing a parachute currently consists of using a looped pull-up cord and handle with just a basic radial groove for the removable end of the looped pull-up cord to seat into. Such devices are sold by parachute equipment suppliers such as made by “PARAGEAR” and “CHUTING STAR” and are referred to as “closing tools” or “power tools” and have been in existence for decades. However, none of such existing devices implement a feature to keep the spliced eye of the removable end of the looped pull-up cord from slipping out of this radial groove.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,300, issued to Kumar discloses a device for closing a parachute pack. This invention uses a lever and crank mechanism to provide a mechanical advantage in the pulling of the closing loop though the grommets. While this disclosure relates to pulling on the closing loop of a parachute, it requires the need of an awkward expensive mechanism to accomplish this task.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,357,828 issued to Hurt discloses a tool for use in packing parachutes and is adapted for holding and drawing up the pull-up cord used to facilitate the closing of the pack. The Hurt disclosure consists of another lever and pivot-type assembly that sits on the parachute pack and mechanically pulls the closing loop. While it also pertains to the pulling of the closing loop through the grommets, again, it requires the use of additional expensive mechanical mechanisms.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,357,805, issued to Bloxon also discloses a tool for closing parachute packs and consists of a wheel and threaded axle to provide the mechanical advantage for pulling on the closing loop. It, again, provides another solution to the problem of packing a parachute.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,066,766, issued to To et al. discloses various methods of cinching a tether used in minimally invasive surgery procedures. While unrelated to the packing of parachutes, the invention pertains to the restraining of a tether, which could be compared to the pull-up cord used for parachute packing. This reference describes numerous restrain methods and one such method describes a tether passed through an “O” ring type component. However, the tether is described as passing axially through the center of the compressible ring with the outsides of the ring compressed radially onto the tether. This is a different restraining technique altogether and does not describe a restraining technique of wedging a cord between an “O” ring and a groove wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,276,311, issued to Cowin discloses a means of adjustably and reversibly engaging a fishing line at an engagement position along another line. The invention relates to a slidable collar and other approaches of restraining a line against another line and does not pertain to constraining the spliced eye of a cord to a rod.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,328,141, issued to Caldwell discloses a tool for aiding with the stowing of the suspension lines on a parachute. The tool does not address the issue of pulling the closing loop of the parachute.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,600, issued to Baker et al. discloses an electrical connector assembly utilizing an “O” ring such that the connector breaks open at certain tension levels. However, the invention does not utilize the “O” ring in a fashion similar to that described on the proposed invention.
There is not found in the prior art an easy solution of this problem of the pull-up cord slipping out of the radial groove in the handle when pulling the handle to close a parachute's flaps.